Systems and methods for additive manufacturing magnetic solenoids

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for forming a magnetically-enabled part via additive manufacturing. The method includes depositing a layer of additive manufacturing material on a build plate, melting or sintering the layer of additive manufacturing material, depositing additional layers of additive manufacturing material on previous layers of additive manufacturing material, the additive manufacturing material of at least some of the additional layers being magnetically permeable, and melting or sintering the additional layers of additive manufacturing material such that the magnetically-enabled part has a transition region including at least some of the magnetically permeable additive manufacturing material.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This regular utility non-provisional patent application claims prioritybenefit with regard to all common subject matter of earlier-filed U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/923,821, filed on Oct. 21,2019, and entitled “ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MAGNETIC SOLENOIDS”. Theidentified earlier-filed provisional patent application is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was made with Government support under Contract No.:DE-NA-0002839 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/NationalNuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights inthe invention.

BACKGROUND

Magnetically-enabled parts typically include discrete non-magneticstructural features and discrete magnetic components. That is, themagnetic components embody basic, distinct volumes such as a disc or awedge. The pronounced boundaries and homogenous composition of thedistinct volumes restricts potential magnetic profiles of the magneticcomponents. Discrete structural features further inhibit or eveninterfere with the potential magnetic profiles of the magneticcomponents.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention solve the above-mentioned problems andother problems and provide a distinct advancement in the art ofmanufacturing magnetically-enabled parts. More particularly, theinvention provides systems and methods for additively manufacturing amagnetically-enabled part via magnetically permeable material. Themagnetically permeable material may be concentrated in selected areasvia transition regions to form a magnetically-enabled part havingvirtually any magnetic profile.

The invention allows for topology optimization in a design phase formagnetically-enabled parts. Specifically, non-structural material andnon-magnetic flux paths can be removed from a part's geometry, resultingin a lower-mass design. The part may be built via additive manufacturingwith the lower-mass design and still have comparable magneticperformance and strength. Similarly, magnetic performance may beimproved or predictable and desirable assembly-level torque curves maybe realized. Furthermore, magnetic topology optimization can be reversedto provide a given geometry (unique envelopes or unusual geometries),with design iterations being performed within those bounds to achievedesirable or predictable magnetic and mechanical performance.

An embodiment of the invention is an additive manufacturing systembroadly comprising a frame, a build plate, a first additivemanufacturing material reserve, a second additive manufacturing materialreserve, a feeder, an additive manufacturing material deposition device,a directed energy source, a set of motors, a processor, and aheat-treatment device.

The frame provides structure for the build plate, feeder, directedenergy source, and motors and includes a base, vertical members, crossmembers, and mounting points for mounting the above components thereto.

The build plate may be a stationary or movable flat tray or bed, asubstrate, a mandrel, a wheel, scaffolding, or similar support. Thebuild plate may be made of a dense stainless steel or other materialsimilar to the first additive manufacturing material.

The additive manufacturing material reserves are substantially similarand each retains one of the additive manufacturing materials. Eachadditive manufacturing material reserve may be a hopper, tank,cartridge, container, spool, or other similar material holder.

The first additive manufacturing material may be a high strength steel,such as stainless steel, or other structural material. The firstadditive manufacturing material may be a powder, a filament, or anyother suitable form.

The second additive manufacturing material may be a magneticallypermeable material such as Hiperco®. The second additive manufacturingmaterial may be a powder, an ink or other liquid, or any other suitableform.

The feeder may be a pump, an auger, or any other suitable feeder.Alternatively, the first additive manufacturing material and the secondadditive manufacturing material may be gravity fed to the additivemanufacturing material deposition device.

The additive manufacturing material deposition device may include anozzle, guide, sprayer, rake, or other similar component. The additivemanufacturing material deposition device deposits the additivemanufacturing material onto the build plate and previously constructedlayers.

The directed energy source may be a laser, heater, or similar componentfor melting the first and second additive manufacturing materials andbonding (e.g., selective laser sintering (SLS) or selective lasermelting (SLM)) the first and second additive manufacturing materials toa previously constructed layer. The directed energy source may beconfigured to melt the first and second additive manufacturing materialsas they are deposited or melt the material of an entire layer after thelayer has been deposited.

The motors position the additive manufacturing material depositiondevice over the build plate and previously constructed layers and movethe additive manufacturing material deposition device as the first andsecond additive manufacturing materials are deposited onto at least oneof the build plate and the previously constructed layers.

The processor directs the additive manufacturing material depositiondevice via the motors and activates the additive manufacturing materialdeposition device such that the additive manufacturing materialdeposition device deposits the additive manufacturing materials onto thebuild plate and previously constructed layers according to a computeraided design of the magnetically-enabled part. The processor may includeat least one of a circuit board, memory, display, inputs, and otherelectronic components such as a transceiver or external connection forcommunicating with other external computers.

The heat-treatment device is configured to heat-treat themagnetically-enabled part on or off the build plate. The heat-treatmentdevice may be an oven, a furnace, a heating element, or any othersuitable heat-treatment device.

In use, the additive manufacturing system may deposit the first additivemanufacturing material onto at least one of the build plate andpreviously constructed layers. The directed energy source may melt orsinter the first additive manufacturing material of the current layer.In this way, a base region formed of several layers of the firstadditive manufacturing material is built up on the build plate to acritical point in the geometry of the part.

Once the base region is completed, a mixture, combination, oralternating pattern of the first additive manufacturing material and thesecond additive manufacturing material may be deposited onto thepreviously constructed layers to form a transition region. The specificlocation and placement of the mixture, combination, or alternatingpattern may be according to computer-aided design (CAD) data, or othertechnical model or drawing, as followed manually or by a user or asdirected in an automated or semi-automated fashion. The directed energysource may then melt or sinter the mixture, combination, or alternatingpattern of the current layer.

The transition region may include a predetermined number of layers at aknown height and may be triggered by automated feed, calculated massconsumed, or other similar mechanisms. The transition region may occurmultiple times and may be dependent on several factors such as buildorientation, materials, and automatically changing parameters for eachmaterial. The transition region may also incorporate two, three, or morematerials. In another embodiment, a series of transition regions mayoccur between subsequent materials (i.e., a first transition regionbetween first and second materials followed by a second transitionregion between second and third materials).

Once the transition region is completed, only the second additivemanufacturing material 104 may be deposited onto the previouslyconstructed layers. The specific location and placement of the secondadditive manufacturing material 104 may be according to computer-aideddesign (CAD) data, or other technical model or drawing, as followedmanually or by a user or as directed in an automated or semi-automatedfashion. The directed energy source may then melt or sinter the secondadditive manufacturing material of the current layer.

The magnetically-enabled part may then be heat-treated via theheat-treatment device. To that end, the magnetically-enabled part may beheat-treated on the build plate or after being removed from the buildplate.

The above-described invention provides several advantages. For example,magnetically permeable material may be used via additive manufacturingto create magnetically critical geometries otherwise impossible tomachine via conventional manufacturing techniques. Themagnetically-enabled part may be designed within unique design envelopesor with unusual geometries that may impact magnetic, electrical, ormechanical performance. The magnetically-enabled part may also includetransition regions between materials to combine or merge differentmaterial properties within the magnetically-enabled part. Additivemanufacturing also improves the turn-around time for development cycles,enabling faster design iterations and allowing additional time forapplication testing. Embodiments of the present invention may be usedfor Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) applications andany magnetic and electro-mechanical devices.

The above-described system and method incorporate software optimization,geometric optimization, or topology optimization of magnetically-enableddesigns previously unachievable with conventional manufacturing. Thepresent invention also enables a reduction of mass for obtainingequivalent magnetic, electrical, or mechanical properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an additive manufacturing systemconstructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of components of the additivemanufacturing system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a cross section of an electromagnetic part formed via theadditive manufacturing system in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing certain steps of a method of additivemanufacturing the electro-mechanical part of FIG. 3 in accordance withanother embodiment of the invention.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of the invention references theaccompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which theinvention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describeaspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled inthe art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized andchanges can be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is definedonly by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents towhich such claims are entitled.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment mayalso be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinations orintegrations of the embodiments described herein.

Broadly characterized, the present invention includes a system andmethod for additively manufacturing a magnetically-enabled part viamagnetically permeable material. The magnetically permeable material maybe concentrated in selected areas via transition regions such that themagnetically-enabled part exhibits bi-metallic or bi-materialproperties. This allows the magnetically-enabled part to have virtuallyany magnetic profile. That is, the systems and methods described hereinenable the production of parts within unique design envelopes or withunusual geometries that impact magnetic and mechanical performance. Themagnetically-enabled part may be a solenoid, a rotor, a stator, or anyother suitable magnetically-enabled or electro-mechanical component.

The invention allows for topology optimization in a design phase formagnetically-enabled parts. Specifically, non-structural material andnon-magnetic flux paths can be removed from a part's geometry, resultingin a lower-mass design. The part may be built via additive manufacturingwith the lower-mass design and still have comparable magneticperformance and strength. Similarly, magnetic performance may beimproved or predictable and desirable assembly-level torque curves maybe realized. Furthermore, magnetic topology optimization can be reversedto provide a given geometry (unique envelopes or unusual geometries),with design iterations being performed within those bounds to achievedesirable or predictable magnetic and mechanical performance.

Turning to FIGS. 1-3 , an additive manufacturing system 10 constructedin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention isillustrated. The additive manufacturing system 10 broadly comprises aframe 12, a build plate 14, a first additive manufacturing materialreserve 16, a second additive manufacturing material reserve 18, afeeder 20, an additive manufacturing material deposition device 22, adirected energy source 24, a set of motors 26, a processor 28, and aheat-treatment device 30.

The frame 12 provides structure for the build plate 14, feeder 20,directed energy source 24, and motors 26 and may include a base,vertical members, cross members, and mounting points for mounting theabove components thereto. Alternatively, the frame 12 may be a walledhousing or similar structure.

The build plate 14 may be a stationary or movable flat tray or bed, asubstrate, a mandrel, a wheel, scaffolding, or similar support. Thebuild plate 14 may be made of a dense stainless steel or other materialsimilar to the first additive manufacturing material 102. The buildplate 14 may be integral with the additive manufacturing system 10 ormay be removable and integral with an magnetically-enabled part 100being formed (as discussed in more detail below).

The first additive manufacturing material reserve 16 retains the firstadditive manufacturing material 102 and may be a hopper, tank,cartridge, container, spool, or other similar material holder. The firstadditive manufacturing material reserve 16 may be integral with theadditive manufacturing system 10 or may be at least one of disposableand reusable.

The first additive manufacturing material 102 may be a high strengthsteel, such as stainless steel, or other structural material. The firstadditive manufacturing material 104 may be a powder, a filament, or anyother suitable form.

The second additive manufacturing material reserve 18 retains the secondadditive manufacturing material 104 and may be a hopper, tank,cartridge, container, spool, or other similar material holder. Thesecond additive manufacturing material reserve 18 may be integral withthe additive manufacturing system 10 or may be at least one ofdisposable and reusable.

The second additive manufacturing material 104 may be a magneticallypermeable material such as Hiperco®. The second additive manufacturingmaterial 104 may be a powder, an ink or other liquid, or any othersuitable form.

The feeder 20 may be a pump, an auger, or any other suitable feeder.Alternatively, the first additive manufacturing material 102 and thesecond additive manufacturing material 104 may be gravity fed to theadditive manufacturing material deposition device 22. The feeder 20connects to both additive manufacturing material reserves 16, 18 and maymix the first and second additive manufacturing materials 102, 104together in any mixture percentage by weight, volume, or any othersuitable metric.

The additive manufacturing material deposition device 22 may include anozzle, guide, sprayer, rake, or other similar component for depositingthe additive manufacturing material 104 onto the build plate 14 andpreviously constructed layers.

The directed energy source 24 may be a laser, heater, or similarcomponent for melting the first additive manufacturing material 102 andthe second additive manufacturing material 104 and bonding (e.g.,selective laser sintering (SLS) or selective laser melting (SLM)) thefirst additive manufacturing material 102 and the second additivemanufacturing material 104 to a previously constructed layer. Thedirected energy source 24 may be configured to melt the first additivemanufacturing material 102 and the second additive manufacturingmaterial 104 as it is being deposited or melt the material of an entirelayer after the layer has been deposited.

The motors 26 position the additive manufacturing material depositiondevice 22 over the build plate 14 and previously constructed layers andmove the additive manufacturing material deposition device 22 as atleast one of the first additive manufacturing material 102 and thesecond additive manufacturing material 104 are deposited onto at leastone of the build plate 14 and the previously constructed layers. Themotors 26 may be oriented orthogonally to each other so that a first oneof the motors 26 is configured to move the additive manufacturingmaterial deposition device 22 in a lateral “x” direction, a second oneof the motors 26 is configured to move the additive manufacturingmaterial deposition device 22 in a longitudinal “y” direction, and athird one of the motors 26 is configured to move the additivemanufacturing material deposition device 22 in an altitudinal “z”direction. Alternatively, the motors 26 may move the build plate 14 (andhence the magnetically-enabled part 100) while the additivemanufacturing material deposition device 22 remains stationary.

The processor 28 directs the additive manufacturing material depositiondevice 22 via the motors 26 and activates the additive manufacturingmaterial deposition device 22 such that the additive manufacturingmaterial deposition device 22 deposits the additive manufacturingmaterial 104 onto the build plate 14 and previously constructed layersaccording to a computer aided design of the magnetically-enabled part100. The processor 28 may include at least one of a circuit board,memory, display, inputs, and other electronic components such as atransceiver or external connection for communicating with other externalcomputers.

The processor 28 may implement aspects of the present invention with oneor more computer programs stored in or on computer-readable mediumresiding on or accessible by the processor. Each computer programpreferably comprises an ordered listing of executable instructions forimplementing logical functions in the processor 28. Each computerprogram can be embodied in any non-transitory computer-readable mediumfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system,processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch theinstructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice, and execute the instructions. In the context of thisapplication, a “computer-readable medium” can be any non-transitorymeans that can store the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Thecomputer-readable medium can be, for example, but not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electro-magnetic, infrared, orsemi-conductor system, apparatus, or device. More specific, although notinclusive, examples of the computer-readable medium would include thefollowing: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portablecomputer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable, programmable, read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disk read-only memory(CDROM).

The heat-treatment device 30 is configured to heat-treat themagnetically-enabled part on or off the build plate 14. Theheat-treatment device 30 may be an oven, a furnace, a heating element,or any other suitable heat-treatment device.

Turning to FIG. 4 , and with reference to FIGS. 1-3 , use of theadditive manufacturing system 10 will now be described in more detail.First, the first additive manufacturing material 102 may be positionedin the first additive manufacturing material reserve 16 and the secondadditive manufacturing material 104 may be positioned in the secondadditive manufacturing material reserve 18, as shown in block 200.

The first additive manufacturing material 102 may then be fed to theadditive manufacturing material deposition device 22 via the feeder 20,as shown in block 202. The additive manufacturing material 104 may bemetered in discrete amounts or continuously, depending on movement andposition of the material mixture deposition device 28.

The additive manufacturing material deposition device 22 may thendeposit the first additive manufacturing material 102 onto at least oneof the build plate 14 and previously constructed layers, as shown inblock 204. The specific location and placement of the additivemanufacturing material 104 may be according to computer-aided design(CAD) data, or other technical model or drawing, as followed manually orby a user or as directed in an automated or semi-automated fashion viacontrol signals provided from the processor 28 to the motors 26.

The directed energy source 24 may then melt or sinter the first additivemanufacturing material 102 of the current layer, as shown in block 206.This may include tracing the directed energy source 24 over or throughthe current layer according to CAD data, models, drawings, or othertechnical resources. The first additive manufacturing material 102 mayfuse together. Alternatively or additionally, the first additivemanufacturing material 102 may fuse to additive manufacturing materialof a previous layer.

Steps 202-206 may be repeated multiple times as needed. For example,once one layer of the magnetically-enabled part 100 has been fused,another layer of the first additive manufacturing material 102 may bedeposited. This may be accomplished through first lowering the buildplate 14 relative to the material mixture deposition device 22 anddirected energy source 24. In this way, a base region formed of severallayers of the first additive manufacturing material 102 is built up onthe build plate 14 to a critical point in the geometry of the part 100.The base region may include geometries needing high strength (e.g.,threaded holes, standoffs, bosses, locating holes, and the like). Tothat end, the base region may include at least a portion of the buildplate 14 or other pre-manufactured components or features.

Once the base region is completed, a mixture, combination, oralternating pattern of the first additive manufacturing material 102 andthe second additive manufacturing material 104 may be fed to theadditive manufacturing material deposition device 22 via the feeder 20,as shown in block 208. The mixture, combination, or pattern may bemetered in discrete amounts or continuously, depending on movement andposition of the material mixture deposition device 28.

The additive manufacturing material deposition device 22 may thendeposit the mixture, combination, or alternating pattern onto thepreviously constructed layers to form a transition region, as shown inblock 210. The specific location and placement of the mixture,combination, or alternating pattern may be according to computer-aideddesign (CAD) data, or other technical model or drawing, as followedmanually or by a user or as directed in an automated or semi-automatedfashion via control signals provided from the processor 28 to the motors26.

The directed energy source 24 may then melt or sinter the mixture,combination, or alternating pattern of the current layer, as shown inblock 212. This may include tracing the directed energy source 24 overor through the current layer according to CAD data, models, drawings, orother technical resources. The mixture, combination, or alternativepattern may fuse together. Alternatively or additionally, the mixture,combination, or alternative pattern may fuse to additive manufacturingmaterial of a previous layer.

Steps 208-212 may be repeated multiple times as needed. The transitionregion may include a predetermined number of layers at a known heightand may be triggered by automated feed, calculated mass consumed, orother similar mechanisms. The transition region may include apredetermined transition gradient from the first additive manufacturingmaterial 102 to the second additive manufacturing material 104. Thetransition gradient may be linear, sinusoidal, exponential, stepped, orany other suitable gradient.

The transition region may occur multiple times and may be dependent onseveral factors such as build orientation, materials, and automaticallychanging parameters for each material. The transition region may alsoincorporate two, three, or more materials. In another embodiment, aseries of transition regions may occur between subsequent materials(i.e., a first transition region between first and second materialsfollowed by a second transition region between second and thirdmaterials).

Once the transition region is completed, only the second additivemanufacturing material 104 may be fed to the additive manufacturingmaterial deposition device 22 via the feeder 20, as shown in block 214.The second additive manufacturing material 104 may be metered indiscrete amounts or continuously, depending on movement and position ofthe material mixture deposition device 28.

The additive manufacturing material deposition device 22 may thendeposit the second additive manufacturing material 104 onto thepreviously constructed layers, as shown in block 216. The specificlocation and placement of the second additive manufacturing material 104may be according to computer-aided design (CAD) data, or other technicalmodel or drawing, as followed manually or by a user or as directed in anautomated or semi-automated fashion via control signals provided fromthe processor 28 to the motors 26.

The directed energy source 24 may then melt or sinter the secondadditive manufacturing material 104 of the current layer, as shown inblock 218. This may include tracing the directed energy source 24 overor through the current layer according to CAD data, models, drawings, orother technical resources. The second additive manufacturing material104 may fuse together. Alternatively or additionally, the secondadditive manufacturing material 104 may fuse to additive manufacturingmaterial of a previous layer. Steps 214-218 may be repeated multipletimes as needed.

In some embodiments, an additional layer of the first additivemanufacturing material 102 or an additional transition region may thenbe added. That is, a region made of only one additive manufacturingmaterial may be flanked on both sides by transition regions or any othercombination of materials such as homogenous regions of the same ordifferent materials. Similarly, a transition region may be flanked byhomogeneous regions of the same or different materials or transitionregions including other materials. In this way, material gradients mayhave virtually any suitable pattern. This allows for theelectro-mechanical part 100 to have virtually any distribution ofmagnetic, electrical, or mechanical properties for specificapplications.

The magnetically-enabled part 100 may then be heat-treated via theheat-treatment device 30, as shown in block 220. To that end, themagnetically-enabled part 100 may be heat-treated on the build plate 14or after being removed from the build plate 14.

In one embodiment, the magnetically-enabled part 100 may include atleast a portion of the build plate 14 itself. The build plate 14 couldserve as the base region or a portion thereof and may be machined toinclude some of the desired base geometries of the magnetically-enabledpart 100. For example, the magnetically-enabled part 100 may include astainless steel bar formed by the build plate 14, a transition regionincluding less dense stainless steel and some magnetically permeablematerial, and a terminal region including only magnetically permeablematerial. This could also be reversed or reordered as desired.

The above-described invention provides several advantages. For example,magnetically permeable material may be used via additive manufacturingto create magnetically critical geometries otherwise impossible tomachine via conventional manufacturing techniques. Themagnetically-enabled part 100 may be designed within unique designenvelopes or with unusual geometries that may impact magnetic,electrical, or mechanical performance. The magnetically-enabled part 100may also include transition regions between materials to combine ormerge different material properties within the magnetically-enabled part100. Additive manufacturing also improves the turn-around time fordevelopment cycles, enabling faster design iterations and allowingadditional time for application testing. Embodiments of the presentinvention may be used for Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current(DC) applications and any magnetic and electro-mechanical devices.

The above-described system and method incorporate software optimization,geometric optimization, or topology optimization of magnetically-enableddesigns previously unachievable with conventional manufacturing, whichmay be used to improve a magnetic profile, a mechanical characteristic,or other characteristics of the magnetically-enabled part. The presentinvention also enables a reduction of mass for obtaining equivalentmagnetic, electrical, or mechanical properties.

The present invention eliminates brittleness issues from which non-heattreated magnetically permeable materials suffer. Components formed ofsuch materials do not have enough strength for mounting withinstronglinks in extreme environments.

The above-described steps may be performed in any order, includingsimultaneously. In addition, some of the steps may be at least one ofrepeated, duplicated, and omitted without departing from the scope ofthe present invention.

Although the invention has been described with reference to theembodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is notedthat equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includesthe following:

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of forming a magnetically-enabledpart via additive manufacturing, the method comprising steps of:depositing a first plurality of layers of a first additive manufacturingmaterial on a build plate so as to form a base region; calculating anamount of mass consumed as the first plurality of layers is beingdeposited; melting or sintering the first plurality of layers;depositing a second plurality of layers of the first additivemanufacturing material and a second additive manufacturing material onthe first plurality of layers so as to form a transition region;triggering the step of depositing the second plurality of layersaccording to the calculated predetermined amount of mass consumed;melting or sintering the second plurality of layers; depositing a thirdplurality of layers of the second additive manufacturing material on thesecond plurality of layers so as to form a terminal region, the additivemanufacturing material of at least some of the layers being magneticallypermeable; and melting or sintering the third plurality of layers, suchthat the transition region includes at least some of the magneticallypermeable additive manufacturing material.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising a step of heat-treating the magnetically-enabled parton the build plate.
 3. The method of claim 1, the first additivemanufacturing material being high strength steel and the second additivemanufacturing material being a magnetically permeable steel such thatthe magnetically-enabled part has bi-metallic properties.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising a step of depositing subsequent layers ofadditive manufacturing material to form an additional transition region.5. The method of claim 1, the transition region being dependent on atleast one of build orientation, material type, and material parameters.6. The method of claim 1, the transition region incorporating at leastthree materials.
 7. A method of forming an electro-mechanical part viaadditive manufacturing, the method comprising steps of: depositing afirst plurality of layers of a first additive manufacturing material ona build plate so as to form a base region; calculating an amount of massconsumed as the first plurality of layers is being deposited; melting orsintering the first plurality of layers; depositing a second pluralityof layers of the first additive manufacturing material and a secondadditive manufacturing material on the first plurality of layers so asto form a transition region, the second additive manufacturing materialbeing magnetically permeable; triggering the step of depositing thesecond plurality of layers according to the calculated predeterminedamount of mass consumed; melting or sintering the second plurality oflayers; depositing a third plurality of layers of the second additivemanufacturing material on the second plurality of layers so as to form aterminal region; and melting or sintering the third plurality of layers,the electro-mechanical part having bi-material properties.
 8. The methodof claim 7, the first additive manufacturing material being highstrength steel and the second additive manufacturing material being amagnetically permeable steel such that the electro-mechanical part hasbi-metallic properties.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising astep of depositing subsequent layers of additive manufacturing materialto form an additional transition region.
 10. The method of claim 7, thetransition region being dependent on at least one of build orientation,material type, and material parameters.
 11. The method of claim 7, thetransition region incorporating at least three materials.